


Insured For Love

by XerotoXero



Series: Insured Against Love [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Riza Hawkeye/OFC - Freeform, Roy's bad at feelings, Roy/Ed - Freeform, puppy acquisition, this is Roy's POV, this started out as an experiment and grew. a lot.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:41:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26582320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XerotoXero/pseuds/XerotoXero
Summary: Roy has a headache. A blond loud headache. One named Edward Elric.But when something shifts suddenly in how he feels about that particular headache, Roy's not sure how to deal with it.And what is this about a puppy?
Relationships: Alphonse Elric/Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric/Roy Mustang, Riza hawkeye/OFC
Series: Insured Against Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933588
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Insured For Love

Another day, another headache landing on his desk courtesy of his most infuriating subordinate. 

Roy groaned as Hawkeye set the paperwork down beside the steaming mug she'd also given him. "Major Elric is in the hospital right now, so he asked me to give this to you." She reported. 

Roy rubbed his burning eyes. So Edward was in the hospital again. That's got to be the 10th time this year, and it was . The alchemist's insurance policy must  _ love _ him. "I don't know why he bothered to write it, it's just going to be full of lies and half truths anyway." He complained to the unsympathetic captain. 

She shrugged, smiling thinly but saying nothing. 

The man picked up the shabby stack of papers. Did the kid- no, not a kid now, Fullmetal just turned 20 didn't he? Roy still thought of him as that narrow eyed brat that was full of false bravado, but that was doing brats around the world a disservice. 

Did the  _ pain in the ass  _ take special care to make sure all of his official paperwork looked like this? 

Hawkeye took that moment to add a much neater stack of paper to his 'in' box. "Information's most recent report on that trafficking ring that found evidence of. I believe Major Elric stumbled on a fraction of it." She informed him, and Roy picked up the mug of coffee in his free hand, downing it in one go. If Fullmetal was involved, it was going to be a long day. He’d already read a few newspaper articles coming out of West City, so he had a vague idea of what troubles the blond got into. 

The Captain took back the proffered mug with a nod. It would be the first in a long series of refills he'd go through today. 

As the woman left his office, Roy put the ruffled report back on his desk and looked between it and the other one consideringly. Start with Information's well documented one, or Fullmetal's slap-dash one? 

Choices, choices… if he read Fullmetal's first, he could play his favorite game of "what is the alchemist leaving out", which reading the other one would take all of the challenge out of. 

Or he could snap his fingers and make all of his current problems disappear…

He snorted at his own folly. Just getting rid of the report wouldn't really fix anything. But it was nice to dream. 

Better get this over with, then. Flipping the first page, which was oddly stained, Roy began reading. The scratchy handwriting was making his head throb slightly and he gratefully accepted another cup of coffee from Hawkeye when she brought it in. 

He was right about the contents, of course. Fullmetal seemed to have his own game when it came to reports, a sort of "what can he get away with lying about?". 

The man was creative, Roy would give him that. 

He rubbed his temples when he reached the last page, groping blindly for Information's report. 

It was crisp and written in a well practiced hand, and basically bold down to, "Get a handle on Fullmetal before he ruins everything!" Not the first report like that he'd ever received. 

Roy briefly played around with the idea of reassigning Fullmetal to the Information Department so that they could see how difficult it was to control the young alchemist. They'd come crawling back hat in hand within a week no doubt. 

  
  
  


Two blissfully Fullmetal free days later, Roy was… well, not asleep on his desk, but getting there. He’d spent an obscene amount of the night before in a quasi-clandestine meeting with one of Information's undercover agents. The woman had been sent to infiltrate the trafficking ring, and was coming up against a wall as a lot of the suspects had gone to ground after the debacle Fullmetal had caused for them. 

It went on so late, the informant complaining in carefully precise code over drinks, that Roy would have taken a sick day to recover. Unfortunately he had a meeting with Fuhrer Grumman to update the man scheduled for 0830.

It almost made him miss the disinterest Fuhrer Bradley had in the day to day missions that took place. Almost. 

Grumman was a good man, morally upright and one of Roy's closest allies and supporters, and comparing him to the late Bradley (also known as the homunculus Wrath) was like comparing a crisp apple to a rotting and morally bankrupt orange. 

Roy was just starting to drift off with that amusing mental picture when he heard the murmur of voices outside his office. Havoc back from one of his many smoke breaks, maybe. 

But no, that idea flew out the window as violently as his door was thrown open moments later. He should be used to that, but the sudden explosion of noise still startled him into a sitting position. There was a paper stuck to his cheek from courtesy of the stack he was using to pillow his head, and he pulled it off with a clearing of his throat.

Roy tried to blink to grogginess out of his eyes as they focused on the other occupant of the room. "You're not Captain Hawkeye." He accused the other person. 

Sure, they were blond like the sharpshooter, but that was where the similarities ended. The fuzziness of his eyes cleared to show exactly the person he was expecting to be standing there. No one opened doors quite like the Fullmetal Alchemist.

Fullmetal snorted and stalked forward in his signature prowl, his metal fist clanging against the wood of Roy's desk and leaving behind a single sheet of paper as the younger man collapsed back into one of the visitor's chairs. "Nope." He popped the 'p' annoyingly, and Roy bit back his reaction to that. It would just give the alchemist more ammunition. He couldn’t help how his hand tightened around the paper he was still holding though, crinkling it slightly. Fullmetal pointed at the sheet he had placed next to Roy, “Now explain that.”

Roy sighed quietly so the other man wouldn’t hear it and reached for the apparently offensive sheet of paper. He scanned it quickly. Ah, so Fullmetal’s insurance had run out, then. “It looks like a hospital bill.” He glanced at the bottom line and nearly blanched. That was a  _ hefty _ sum.

Fullmetal rolled his eyes. “Yes it is. Why am  _ I _ the one getting it?” He asked in a low but aggressive tone.

Roy tried to suppress a yawn but failed. The Fullmetal brat would probably take that personally. Had no one explained his insurance premiums in the 6 years the other alchemist had worked under the military’s umbrella? “I guess your insurance premium ran out. You  _ do _ get sent to the hospital a lot.” Roy explained. Maybe after a few more bills like this, Fullmetal would learn to be more careful on the missions he gave himself outside of Roy’s orders.

That was a pipe dream, of course.

“Yeah, while I’m doing shit for the military! So they should be the ones to pay!” Roy was only surprised it took this long for Fullmetal to lose his patience, the high strung young man scooting forward on his chair and gold eyes lit with anger.

Roy had sent Fullmetal out on a mission to West Command, but of course the blond had found a way to stick his nose into a delicate situation there. The younger man seemed to have entirely forgotten about the bill as they sniped back and forth at each other, Roy keeping his voice controlled in a contrast to Fullmetal’s shouting.

Really Edward was no longer a hot headed teenager, the blond shouldn’t be laboring under that boulder-sized chip on his shoulder anymore. Of course, Fullmetal had been through a lot more than the average soldier.

For example, the haunted look in the young man’s eyes after he had slammed his automail fist on Roy’s desk and yelled. “That would have been too. Fucking. Slow! You weren’t there! You didn’t see-” He’d read the blond’s report, 23 captives of varying genders and ages freed by the blunt tool of an alchemist. Roy read the report objectively, having never personally dealt with victims of sex trafficking, but judging by the other man’s expression it was not a pleasant sight. “You didn’t see them.”

He felt sympathy for Fullmetal, he really did. But the way the younger man just blundered into a larger operation was not something he should condone. “Fullmetal…” He swept a gloved hand carefully over his hair. Grumman was an eagle eyed sonuva bitch and would mercilessly rib him if a single hair was out of place. “What you found is just a small part of a larger network that the Intelligence Department-” He could see the other man’s eyes basically glaze over when he mentioned Intelligence. The alchemist had no idea or respect for the trouble that he often gave that particular department.

Roy kept a few of the more colorful memos they sent to bring out on boring days.

But really, Fullmetal could try harder to be a better team player, instead of going off on his own in his usual style. That sort of action before thought was what landed the younger man in the hospital so often.

Roy pointed that out helpfully, stumbling over calling the captive Cretan citizens ‘merchandise’ but moving past it admirably in his own opinion. He told the younger man about one of the many ruses he could have come up with off the top of his head, much to Fullmetal’s obvious disgust. If the blond had just used the secured line to Roy’s desk and informed him of what was going on, he could have shared that plan  _ before _ Fullmetal went haring off, and none of this would have been a problem.

He couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice when he finished with, “You don’t have to do everything  _ by yourself _ anymore, Fullmetal.” The younger man’s eyes widened and narrowed to slits, looking for all the world like a cat that had been suddenly doused and was out for revenge.

With perfect timing as always, Captain Hawkeye chose that moment to open the door behind the seething Fullmetal Alchemist, who seemed for a moment ready to continue before he sneered and banged his metal fist on the desk one last time. The younger man turned abruptly, and as he passed Captain Hawkeye he said over his shoulder. “If I thought that you would be any actual  _ help _ , Mustang, I wouldn’t  _ have _ to.”

And then he was gone, ignoring Roy who was calling him back. He groaned, leaning back in his chair. It had been 6 years since Edward joined the military under his command. Was there anything Roy could do to ease the younger man into actually following orders before he stepped on the wrong toes, and got ousted before Roy could defend him?

Not that it would really ruffle Fullmetal’s feathers to be dishonorably discharged of course. The blond would be just as good at finding a way to still be a thorn in the military’s side as a civilian, and then they would just be stuck sweeping up after the overzealous man.

Hawkeye stepped fully into the room, the corners of her lips twitching subtly. “Productive conversation with Major Elric, sir?”

He sighed weakly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “That brat is driving me to drink.” He grumbled.

“A very short trip, sir. Now up you get, we can’t keep the Fuhrer waiting.” The sharpshooter snapped her fingers briskly in his direction. Did no one in this office respect him?

As he grudgingly got to his feet, a single sheet of paper fluttered feebly, catching his eye.

Fullmetal forgot his hospital bill. Roy looked down at the paper contemplatively and then slipped it under one of the folders on his desk to consider later when Hawkeye cleared her throat pointedly.

Roy followed Hawkeye to the Fuhrer’s office, amused to note they were taking the circuitous route along rarely used hallways. The woman’s attempt at keeping him from bothering any female soldiers, no doubt. Not that Roy had the energy to flirt with anyone who was willing right now. The combination of his late night and the argument with Fullmetal had drained him of any energy he would normally spare to keep up his ‘womanizing’ facade. 

When they finally made it to the Fuhrer’s office the man’s secretary, a comely dark haired Colonel whose appearance belied her deadly ability with the same sort of knives Maes had favored, glanced up in blatant disinterest.

Roy had tried hitting on her only once while she was training with those knives under his friend, and had come away with a new fear of sharp things near his… bits. And a grudging respect for his mentor’s choice in putting the lovely women on the front line of his office.

Glancing at Hawkeye out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Fuhrer’s influence on himself. Throw people off with a pretty face, and if their intentions are unsavory, they won’t expect how deadly that pretty secretary can be.

Though of course at this point Riza’s skill with a gun was well known by this point, so anyone who tried to get through her to Roy deserved the bullets she unloaded into them.

Nodding to Colonel Grader, she rolled her bright blue eyes expressively back and lazily motioned them on. She spared a sharp smile for Hawkeye though when the other woman saluted her in passing.

It had taken Roy a shamefully long time to realize the two women were engaged in a steamy sort of rivalry that would either end with the two women in bed or one of them grievously wounded. Roy suspected that the two wouldn’t mind either outcome.

Captain Hawkeye knocked smartly on the Fuhrer’s office door, pulling her hand back just as a knife thunked into the wood and hung there where it had just been.

Roy stared at the Fuhrer’s secretary with wide eyes, but Hawkeye just snorted and tugged the knife from its place, slipping it into her pocket carelessly as the door was opened.

If Fuhrer Grumman noticed the women’s byplay, he made no show of it, instead cheerfully leading them into his office.

It was a large room, brightly lit by the sun streaming through and decorated comfortably with many pictures and childish trinkets scattered around in an almost manic manner. Roy watched as the Fuhrer smacked an affectionate kiss on his stoic friend’s face. “Riza! How have you been, sweetie?”

Hawkeye smiled tightly at her grandfather, kissed cheek twitching slightly. “I have been well, Fuhrer Grumman.” Then in an undertone with a glance to the still open office door, “I’ve asked you to call me Captain Hawkeye in the office.”

The gray haired man waved off her chiding jovially. “You’ll have to forgive an old man’s memory, sweetie. It’s just not what it used to be!” He laughed at that, fingering his massive handlebar mustache. 

Mustang carefully hid his own smirk when Hawkeye’s eyes landed on him. She huffed quietly. “If you gentlemen need me, I’ll be right outside. I believe that Colonel Grader and I have something to discuss.” Her hand went to the pocket she’d slipped the knife into.

Roy was kind of terrified of the sort of relationship the two would end up falling into. It promised to be a dangerous one. “You are dismissed then, Captain Hawkeye. I shouldn’t be long.” He told the woman.

“Hey! Don’t you bet on that, Mustang. I’ve been  _ practicing _ .” The Fuhrer motioned to the chess set up on the table in the corner of the room, which was surrounded by the ever apathetic visage of Hawkeye as a child.

“Of course, Fuhrer.” Roy demurred, taking a seat while Hawkeye saluted her grandfather and shut the door behind her.

The game did take longer than their average and was actually an admirable effort on the older man’s part. Roy really had to consider some of his moves. Though the longer the game went to sloppier Fuhrer Grumman got, too assured in his own victory.

“Oh! Good move!” Grumman praised, leaning forward over the board to consider the assembled pieces. “Now what happened next?” 

Roy sipped at the coffee he’d been provided, smuggly noting that Hawkeye’s coffee was better. “Well, Fullmetal did what Fullmetal does best. He found a loose thread and pulled almost everything apart. Violently.”

The older man laughed uproariously. He found the various exploits of ‘the People’s Alchemist’ very amusing. Probably because he wasn’t the one personally responsible for sweeping up after the man. “Yes, that young man of yours is quite the handful.”

Roy didn’t really like what the Fuhrer was implying, but commenting on it would just encourage Grumman to bring it up constantly.

Imagining that sort of relationship between himself and Edward was almost as scary as the one between Colonel Grader and Hawkeye. 

Sure, objectively the blond was attractive, but Roy had more than enough on his plate dealing with Fullmetal professionally to even consider a more ‘personal’ relationship. The paperwork alone…

Roy shuddered delicately then sighed heavily. “I’m just not sure what to do about him.” He admitted to his former mentor. “He refuses to follow protocol, will not work with the office he is ostensibly a member of, and has landed himself in the hospital enough times his insurance could not cover his latest stint in hospital. He just doesn’t trust me, and if he won’t trust me then he’s just going to keep landing himself into trouble.”

The Fuhrer rubbed his chin and finally moved his bishop two spaces. “Well, what have you done to show the boy he can trust you? From what you’ve told me about him, the kid doesn’t just trust anyone. Actually, who does he trust?”

How the conversation had derailed from discussing the moves they were taking to topple the sex trafficking ring to Edward Elric… well, it wasn’t really a mystery. Any topic that included even a mention of the Fullmetal alchemist tended to deviate. It had to be one of the blond man’s many talents. “Well, his brother most obviously, and Alphonse’s young wife Mrs. Winry Rockbell-Elric. Pinako Rockbell. The Curtis couple within reason.” Roy counted the people on his hand and stopped short. There were a few more periphery people, of course, but none he could confidently say held Edwards trust.

“And how did those few people get Edward to trust them?”

Roy snorted and moved his knight forward. “If you think I can replicate their successes, maybe you are losing it Fuhrer. Alphonse and Winry are obvious, brother and childhood friend respectively. Pinako… I think she and the Curtises are similar in being authority figures from a young age.”

The Fuhrer scowled at the board, seeing the danger his king was in. “You were an authority figure to the boy when he was a child, weren’t you Roy?” His hand hovered over one of the few pawns he had left but he quickly withdrew it.

Oh, if only it had been that easy. “No, by the time he was a part of my command I’m afraid that ship had long since sailed. And I don’t think the attitude I’d chosen to adopt when it came to dealing with the Elrics helped of course. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish the hurt child from the young soldier who had screwed up… though I think Fullmetal would have bit off my hand if I had treated him like a child.”

An image of Edward, small and shivering in the cold rain while the blood splatter that used to call itself Nina Tucker stained the wall behind him. 

Roy knew now he had fucked up at that point, facing that angry 14 year old and just telling him to “get on with his life” while the blood of the little girl Edward had been fond of was being washed away in the heavy downpour. It was a lesson Roy himself had found hard won and had hoped to save Fullmetal from the same long struggle.

That was the turning point. It had only taken Roy until the glass of scotch he poured that night to realize his own screw up. He’d never been good with kids, especially not crying ones. What else could he have done? But Edward had not been crying then, of course. The boy had chosen to use his usual way of dealing with things, by lashing out in any direction that wasn’t Alphonse’s.

Roy had then compounded the fracture between them by holding himself aloof from the Elrics, a picture perfect superior officer.

“Check!” Fuhrer Grumman announced gleefully.

Roy chuckled, shaking off the melancholy with the ease of long practice. He studied the board and placed his hand on an unobtrusive pawn, moving it out of his Queen’s way. “Check mate.”

Grumman stared at the board in abject astonishment before sitting back in his chair with his hands spread in defeat. “Fine fine, you got me you wily kid.” He huffed out a good natured laugh. “So what are you going to do about that little problem of yours?”

The General felt his face drop into a thoughtful frown. “I might have an idea, though it probably won’t work. Knowing Fullmetal, he’d rather chew off his own arm than accept help.”

“The real one or the metal one?” Fuhrer Grumman asked curiously.

Roy shrugged. “Take your pick.”

* * *

  
“No!” The voice was clear through his office door, and Roy looked up from the paperwork he had been toiling over. The voice’s volume dropped to an indistinct murmur, but he knew it anywhere. He expected the door to fly open next, but it never did.

That hospital bill had taken a not inconsiderable amount of money from the General’s bank account, and the brat wasn’t even going to come say ‘thank you’? 

Well, Roy hadn’t actually expected him to. Paying the bill had been a half-assed attempt to bridge the gap between them at best.

After a few more quiet minutes it became obvious the Fullmetal Alchemist had left the main office. With a huff Roy called out, “Captain Hawkeye!”

The woman took her precious time before she opened the door. “Yes, General Mustang?” 

“Was that Fullmetal? What did he want?” Roy prompted.

Hawkeye slipped the rest of the way into the room. “He asked if I had seen a hospital bill. I was going to bring the matter to you, but Major Elric insisted I do not.”

Maybe Edward hadn’t realized the bill was taken care of, which is why he was looking for it. Roy hummed thoughtfully. “Sit down, Riza.” He requested, motioning to the chair on the other side of the desk.

The woman sat and gazed steadily at him with a single eyebrow raised. Calling her by her first name was a bit of an informal code between them, letting her know he wanted to speak as friends and not as superior officer and subordinate. “Would you say Fullmetal trusts you?” He asked, getting right to the point.

Hawkeye’s eyebrow did not come down. “As much as he trusts anyone not named ‘Alphonse’ I’d hazard.”

No, Fullmetal would never trust anyone as much as he did his younger brother. He practically lived his mid to late teens for the other boy. “How did you do it?”

The sharpshooter’s head tilted and her face was incredulous. “How did I do… what? Get Major Elric to trust me?”

Roy motioned grandly with a single arm, his exhaustion wearing away at him. “Yes! That! Fullmetal is going to get himself killed on the field someday if he doesn’t start following my orders, and I won’t be able to get him to do that if he doesn’t trust me. He thinks too ‘small picture’, I need him to realize that I am trying to create a better ‘bigger picture’.”

“Ah.” The woman said simply. He lifted his own eyebrows at her to prompt her to continue. “Well sir, I wish I had some advice to give you. Edward’s faith is something even I’m not sure how I gained.” She admitted. 

“It’s just- ugh. If he just followed orders-!” He couldn’t find a good way to voice his thoughts, and ran his hand frustratedly through his hair, touseling it. “He’s been in and out of the hospital 10 times this year, and it’s only July.”

Riza shrugged expressionlessly, though he could tell she was worried about the other blond as well. None of the team really liked it when Fullmetal landed himself in a hospital bed.

So of course the idiot did it again.

* * *

  
Roy was roused by the shrill ringing of the phone at god awful o’clock. A call this late was never good news.

He dragged himself down the hall and grunted into the receiver. 

“Is this General Mustang?” A curt unfamiliar voice asked.

Roy scrubbed at his eyes. “Yes this is.”  _ Unfortunately. _ “What is the situation?”

“General, this is Corporal Gray at East Hospital. We have one of your men, a Major Edward Elric.”

For fuck’s sake, it was supposed to be a simple mission. “What happened?”

The Corporal took a deep breath. “We don’t know the circumstances, sir, but Major Elric was brought in with massive internal bleeding from blunt force trauma, one of his automail limbs is destroyed from elbow down, and his brain was hemorrhaging into his cranial cavity. We’ve alleviated the pressure but…” The man trailed off and Roy felt his stomach leap to his throat.

A medical professional with that tone of voice… “But.” He choked past his stomach.

“It’s been three hours and he hasn’t woken up. The doctor’s not sure he will.” The man finished in a single nervous breath.

Shit. Shit shit shit. “Fucking- Fullmetal you boneheaded-”

Corporal Gray wisely did not acknowledge his cursing. “We will keep you updated, and if Major Elric stabilizes we will immediately put in for a transfer to Central Hospital.” That ‘if’ hung like a noose in the air, strangling the breath from the Flame Alchemist.

“See that you do.” Roy snapped into the line. “And Corporal?”

“Yes sir?” Corporal Gray prompted.

Roy swallowed thickly. “Take care of him, that’s the People’s Alchemist you have in your care.”

“Of course sir.” Corporal Gray said stiffly into the phone before the line went dead.

The General set down the phone on the receiver heavily, then picked it back up again. He had to call Alphonse Elric, the man had to be alerted that he was about to become an only child. The desperate joke fell flat even in his own mind. The line rang endlessly in his ear before a groggy voice answered. “Hello?” It was a woman, doubtlessly Winry Rockbell-Elric.

“Mrs. Rockbell-Elric, is your husband available?” He asked robotically.

Winry gasped in his ear. “Oh no.” She whispered. “Is he… Is Ed…” She seemed unable to finish her question.

Roy winced. He had only marginally better news than she seemed to be expecting. “Not… definitely. I just received a call from the hospital in the area his last mission was in, and he’s had some brain bleeding. They don’t know if he’ll wake up.”

“Al! Alphonse! Come here!” The young woman shouted tearfully on the other end of the line, distant like she’d pulled the phone away from her face to call for her husband.

Alphonse’s voice was choked as he took the phone from her a breathless minute later, having been thankfully filled in by his wife in that time. Roy didn’t really like the thought of repeating the message a second time. “General? What’s going on? What happened to Ed?”

He sighed deeply. “I don’t know all of the details of the situation, but they did say his automail arm was destroyed.”

Alphonse cleared his throat. “Win and I will be on the next train to Central, he’s going to need us to fix that arm.” 

Roy declined to point out that there was no guarantee Edward would ever need another arm. Alphonse sounded sure, and he wouldn’t make the young man doubt himself.

The General had never lost a man from his relatively intimate command, and the fact that its youngest member was currently fighting for his life made him restless with concern.

Roy did not go back to sleep after hanging up his conversation with the younger Elric. Instead he alerted Hawkeye to the current situation then spent the next two hours pacing the stretch of hall that housed the phone. The first fingers of dawn were starting to stain the darkness of the sky outside the window when it rang, and Roy dove for it.

“Hello?” He panted into it.

“General Mustang?” It was a woman this time. Corporal Gray’s shift must have ended.

“Yes, yes, did you have an update on Major Elric?” He asked briskly.

“Not much of one, I’m afraid.” The woman admitted. “He still hasn’t woken up and the longer it goes…”

“The lower his chances.” Roy finishes for her with a tight throat.

Sure, Edward was a pain in his ass, but Roy didn’t want him to  _ die _ . 

There was the scratch of a pen over paper on the line. “He’s stable enough to be moved, though. The order has gone in and he’ll be on the next medical train to Central.”

It wasn’t exactly good news, but it wasn’t bad news either, so Roy felt he should be thankful for that. “Alright. I’ll have a member of my team at the station on arrival.”

“Very good, General. Have a pleasant night. Er… day?” The woman, who hadn’t introduced herself, must have just made note of the time.

He laughed humorlessly. “I highly doubt I will, but thank you. Keep me updated on Major Elric’s timetable.” He could hear more writing.

“Of course, sir. We’ll send a telegram to your office when we procure Major Elric’s transportation.” The woman said dutifully. “Good bye, General.”

There was the click of the other line hanging up before he could respond, and Roy sank down bonelessly in the chair he had set up by the phone, but pulled himself together when he glanced at his ever present pocket watch. If he wanted to be at the office on time, he would have to start getting ready.

By the time Roy was opening the front door and pulling on his gloves, Havoc already had the car idling on the curb while the Lieutenant leaned against the shiny black vehicle, smoke rising steadily from his cigarette. “You look like shit.” The man said, laying eyes on Roy.

Roy sighed and rubbed his face. He  _ felt _ like shit. He’d have to announce Edward’s condition to the office once everyone was present. The Flame Alchemist didn’t really feel like repeating that particular announcement more than he could help. “Long night.” He grunted instead, sliding through the door Havoc held open for him.

The blond studied him from his vantage point at the open door. “Shit.” He said finally. “Whatever kept you up wasn’t good, huh?”

“No.” Roy admitted through gritted teeth. “It wasn’t.”

* * *

Roy made the decision to be the team member that met Fullmetal and the attending medical staff at the train station that evening. As the blond man was wheeled by Roy stared down at his slack pale face. Edward looked awful, and so very small on the gurney. 

Fullmetal arrived still unconscious, though one of the attendants did report the young man had briefly woken up on the trip over. Apparently Fullmetal had opened his eyes, looked around, said something the medical officer refused to repeat, and passed out again.

He was out of the woods then, thank fuck. Roy gave it two weeks until Fullmetal was standing in front of his desk and yelling like nothing had happened.

He sincerely looked forward to it.

Roy chose to ride in the ambulance to Central Hospital to the open confusion of the medical officer, but the woman wisely chose not to say anything.

She didn’t even bat an eyelash when the Flame Alchemist held his subordinate’s limp remaining hand through the whole trip. Roy was glad she didn’t ask, he wasn’t actually sure of his motives.

It was just… odd to see the normally vivacious Fullmetal so lifeless.

The gurney was rushed out of the ambulance and away when they arrived at the hospital, and the doctor on staff approached him a short while later with a clipboard and a studied comforting expression. It was only then that Roy realized he’d been standing helplessly at the ambulance bay for quite some time. “General Mustang, I’m Doctor Krause. Are you Major Elric’s only present uh… family?” He didn’t seem sure how to phrase it.

Roy cleared his throat. “I’m here in a purely professional capacity until Fullmetal’s brother and sister-in-law arrive from Resembool. What’s the Major’s prognosis, Doctor?”

Doctor Krause nodded. “Right then.” He smiled tiredly. “Officer Huber reported to me that Major Elric woke up briefly on the journey back, which is good news. On intake…” He flipped through a few papers on the clipboard, “It says here that he was severely dehydrated and slightly malnourished, so we’ve got a few IVs going on him now. His automail arm was also demolished below the elbow, but I assume he has a preferred mechanic for that?”

“Yes, his sister-in-law is Winry Rockbell-Elric.” He was aware Mrs. Rockbell’s name was fairly well known now.

Doctor Krause’s smile widened in recognition as expected. “Of course! Well then, after a few weeks in our care I believe Major Elric should make a full recovery. Just… it’s my medical advice to keep him rooted here in Central for a few weeks afterwards, and then light duty missions for at least a month.”

The General accepted the advice, but doubted he could keep Fullmetal in Central for that long after the younger man considered himself healed. He would have Hawkeye line up a light mission or two that weren’t very important.

Definitely nothing in West City. 

Roy made to leave, but a sudden thought struck him. “Doctor.” He called to the retreating man.

Doctor Krause turned back to him immediately, an inquisitive look on his face. “Yes, General?”

The Flame Alchemist only allowed himself to doubt this decision for a moment before firming his mind. “Where would I find the billing department?”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try writing the whole thing from Roy's point of view, so... here it is. Ed may have just shrugged off the fact he almost died, but not everyone was as blasé about it.


End file.
